An etching method according to an embodiment includes forming a catalyst layer made of a noble metal on a structure made of a semiconductor, and dipping the structure in an etching solution containing hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive to remove a portion of the structure that is in contact with the catalyst layer.
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1. An etching method, comprising: forming a catalyst layer made of a noble metal on a structure made of a semiconductor; and dipping the structure in an etching solution containing hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive to remove a portion of the structure that is in contact with the catalyst layer, the organic additive is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine and alanine.
An etching method involves two main steps. First, a catalyst layer made of a noble metal (like gold or platinum) is formed on a semiconductor structure (like silicon). Second, this structure is dipped in an etching solution. This solution contains hydrofluoric acid (HF), an oxidizer, and an organic additive. The organic additive must be at least one of these chemicals: polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine. This process removes parts of the semiconductor structure that are touching the noble metal catalyst layer.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the organic additive has a molecular weight of 60 to 20,000.
The etching method etches a semiconductor using a noble metal catalyst and an etching solution. The etching solution contains hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive to remove the semiconductor material in contact with the catalyst. As described previously, the organic additive is at least one of polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine. The organic additive used has a molecular weight between 60 and 20,000.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the organic additive in the etching solution is 0.01 to 1 mass %.
The etching method etches a semiconductor using a noble metal catalyst and an etching solution. The etching solution contains hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive to remove the semiconductor material in contact with the catalyst. As described previously, the organic additive is at least one of polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine. The concentration of this organic additive in the etching solution is between 0.01 and 1 mass percent.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of hydrogen fluoride in the etching solution is 5 to 10 mol/L.
The etching method etches a semiconductor using a noble metal catalyst and an etching solution. The etching solution contains hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive to remove the semiconductor material in contact with the catalyst. As described previously, the organic additive is at least one of polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine. The concentration of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in the etching solution is between 5 and 10 mol/L (moles per liter).
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the oxidizer in the etching solution is 2 to 4 mol/L.
The etching method etches a semiconductor using a noble metal catalyst and an etching solution. The etching solution contains hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive to remove the semiconductor material in contact with the catalyst. As described previously, the organic additive is at least one of polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine. The concentration of the oxidizer in the etching solution is between 2 and 4 mol/L (moles per liter).
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an aggregate of particles each made of the noble metal is formed as the catalyst layer, and the structure is dipped in the etching solution to remove portions of the structure that are close to the particles and a portion of the structure that corresponds to a gaps between the particles.
The etching method uses a catalyst layer formed from an aggregate of noble metal particles. The semiconductor structure is dipped into an etching solution containing hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive (polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine). This removes semiconductor material both where it directly touches the noble metal particles and also in the gaps between the particles. Therefore the catalyst layer defines the removed portions, and the gaps between the particles define removed portions.
7. A method of manufacturing an article, the method comprising etching the structure by the etching method according to claim 1 .
A method of manufacturing an article involves etching a semiconductor structure. First, a catalyst layer made of a noble metal is formed on the semiconductor. Then, the structure is dipped in an etching solution. This solution contains hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive (polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine). This removes the semiconductor in contact with the catalyst layer, forming the desired article.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the article is a semiconductor device.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes etching a semiconductor structure. First, a catalyst layer made of a noble metal is formed on the semiconductor. Then, the structure is dipped in an etching solution. This solution contains hydrofluoric acid, an oxidizer, and an organic additive (polyethylene glycol, succinic acid, malic acid, dipropylamine, or alanine). This removes the semiconductor in contact with the catalyst layer. In this case, the article produced by the etching method is a semiconductor device.
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September 4, 2015
July 11, 2017
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